All forms of automotive vehicles, such as, for example, automobiles, trucks, tractors and the like, have heretofore been provided with gauging means associated with the engine oil supply or reservoir. Such prior art gauging means has taken the form of pressure gauge systems which indicate to the vehicle operator whether the engine oil pressure is sufficiently high. Generally, the industry, for the most part, has, in the past, provided read-out dials or gauges which merely indicate the existence of either of two conditions; that is, that the oil pressure is sufficient or that the oil pressure is not sufficient. More often than not, such read-out gauges are merely lamp assemblies, mounted as on the vehicular dash panel, which do not become energized when the oil pressure is or exceeds a predetermined minimum value but which do become energized when the oil pressure is less than such predetermined value.
Unfortunately, the provision of an oil pressure signal to the vehicle operator does not, in and of itself, inform the vehicle operator as to whether the reservoir of engine oil has become sufficiently depleted as to require the supplying thereto of an additional quantity of oil. Generally, it is deleterious to the engine to have the engine operate with a diminished or low oil supply. Among other things, in such a situation, there is a tendency for the oil temperature and engine temperature to increase sometimes to magnitudes causing irreversible harm to the engine.
Heretofore, in order to determine whether additional oil had to be supplied to the engine, the vehicle operator would have to park the vehicle and after opening the engine compartment hood reach in and extract the crankcase (oil reservoir) dip stick. Obviously when this occurred in the night, the darkness hindered an accurate reading of the existing oil level. Further, when the oil was relatively clean, it became difficult, because of lack of color contrast, to determine the exact mark left on the oil dip stick to, in turn, determine what the actual oil level was. Also, such prior art means of checking the oil level had to be performed under both hot and cold conditions depending on whether it was summer or winter. In any event, whenever the oil level was thusly checked, the operator often found that the oil level was already reduced to a level which could have been damaging to the engine even though the pressure gauge still indicated sufficient pressure.
Accordingly, the invention as herein disclosed and described is primarily directed to the solution of the above as well as any other fluid level measuring applications.